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Music News

ROCK QUICK HITS 1/9/13
1/9/2013

Guitarist Sal Costa has explained his exit from My Darkest Days, the band he joined three years ago who scored a huge rock radio hit with "Porn Star Dancing." Costa told Noisecreep that he actually left the lineup in October, but stayed on for some touring commitments. As for why he departed, Costa explained, "When I think of a band, I think of a group of artists sitting in front of the same canvas painting different parts of the same scenery. I had felt for a long while that I was painting a different scene on a different canvas altogether. We were just not on the same page on many fronts." Costa is currently honeymooning after marrying his longtime girlfriend, while My Darkest Days is getting ready to make its third album. (Loudwire) Read more at Noisecreep

Atoms For Peace, the supergroup featuring Radiohead singer Thom Yorke and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, have debuted the studio version of the song "Judge, Jury And Executioner" on BBC Radio. Producer Nigel Godrich, who is also a member of the band, said about the track, "It's supposed to blur the line between what's generated electronically and what's generated by a human being." The debut album from Atoms For Peace, titled Amok, is due out on February 25th and live shows are a possibility. (Gigwise) Read more at Rolling Stone, Spinner and NME

CHECK IT OUT: Listen to Atoms For Peace's "Judge, Jury And Executioner":

Blabbermouth reports Topps baseball-card publisher has added the "Heavy Metal Autographs" insert set to the previously announced 2013 Topps Archives baseball set. The cards will be limited to 25 copies and printed on metal.

2013 Topps Archives Baseball is slated for release on May 29. The August 2011 issue of Revolver magazine contained limited-edition baseball cards of the "Big Four" bands of thrash metal — METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX — who played the historic first metal show ever at Yankee Stadium on September 14, 2011. The cards were modeled after the classic Topps baseball cards from 1986, the same year these four bands released their metal masterpieces. Image below courtesy of The Cardboard Connection Read more at Ultimate Classic Rock

Blabbermouth reports a photo of the giant billboard situatued high above Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California advertising DEF LEPPARD's upcoming Las Vegas shows can be seen below. DEF LEPPARD will play its 1987 album, "Hysteria", in its entirety as part of the Las Vegas residency, which is scheduled to kick off at the end of March. Viva Hysteria! follows Hard Rock residencies from MÖTLEY CRÜE and GUNS N' ROSES. Tickets are on sale now and start at $49.50, with floor seats going for $125. Speaking to Vegas.com, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen stated about the band's decision to do the Vegas residency: "A lot of other bands do this stuff, but I think it's a little bit more special because 'Hysteria' was one of the diamond albums, especially in this day and age there are not that many albums that achieve that kind of status. That's why it's so important to us; it's such a big-selling album. It's a challenge as well. We've never actually done that before. We've always said yeah we could do 'High 'n' Dry'. 'Hysteria', that's a lot more challenging. A lot of the songs on there are hard to sing and play at the same time." Asked what sort of preparation the band has to go through to be able to play the entire "Hysteria" LP live, Collen said: "We've been playing several songs off of Hysteria'. Even this summer on the tour we did with POISON, we were playing seven of the songs because we had seven singles off the record… So much went into that record, that we've been playing the hits for 25 years now. Some of the other tracks on the album, just going back and listening to the whole thing, you realize just how much went into that record. Obviously [producer] Mutt Lange had a massive influence, and the whole thing about that, so we're just totally excited. They are such amazing arrangements that you forget." Regarding what he thinks it was about that album that continues to attract fans today, Collen said: "Mutt Lange is a genius. He said we can do an ultimate rock album or we can do a rock version of 'Thriller', where we have seven hit singles. But to do that, you have to put the extra effort in. The attitude when the album came out, a lot of people didn't like it. They thought, oh this is too pop or they didn't understand the crossover because it's a perfect hybrid between rock and pop. If you look at Mutt Lange's track record, his biggest successes are, for example, Shania Twain. He definitely brought country to the masses. He successfully fused rock, pop music with country, and I never thought I'd see the day. I remember being in Japan and hearing Shana Twain when I was going up and down in an elevator. That, for us, like I said, it was the perfect hybrid of pop and rock that was actually acceptable. A lot of rock fans didn't like it at first, but by the end of that year, everyone had the record. You couldn't really escape the whole thing. It was pop music, but done rock. We kicked our ass on it. It was very different from anything that had come before it, actually." Read more from Vegas.com.

Blabbermouth reports MOTÖRHEAD unveiled the overwhelmingly loud and fast style of rock and roll with the official U.S. launch of Motörheadphönes yesterday (Tuesday, January 8) at the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 100 journalists from four continents attended the event, which includes a question-and-answer session with MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister, Ulf Sandberg, CEO of Motörheadphönes, and bop manager Anders Nicklasson. Check out photos below.Motörheadphönes has had unprecedented success throughout Europe prior to making its debut in the United States at the CES show. Motörheadphönes were developed by the hard-rocking, mega-successful metal band MOTÖRHEAD, who harnessed the energy of their own music and created a life-style brand of headphones that are unprecedented in sound, capability and performance. All about attitude, Motörheadphönes are targeted to the rock audience, one of the largest audiences of music listeners. The new product features professional audio quality, tooled to reproduce rock music or any played music. Motörheadphönes give smooth warm bass, bombastic drums and clear mid-range plus distinct high-end because of the 40mm neodymium high power speakers that takes 6-10 times more power than a standard headphone. With the knowledge of using studio headphones for decades, MOTÖRHEAD has made the mid and high frequencies so clear that you can easily separate the instruments from each other. Motörheadphönes allow anyone to enjoy the same music as professional musicians do in the studio. Just like MOTÖRHEAD, they are pr of award-winning musical opportunities. Models are smart phone capable and are equipped with the newly developed microphone Controlizer which is one of the most advanced remote controls on the market today. MSRP range from $49.99-$129.99 and the product was recently named one of the best headphones in the world by U.K.'s newspaper The Independent. "These new headphones are not like the weak-kneed, lily-livered, tin-pot, skinny sounding little pieces of garbage out on the market today," said Lemmy. "We designed these headphones to deliver everything louder than anything else and with the sort of range, clarity and TRUE rock reproduction you'd expect from a band of warriors like us." Motörheadphönes were developed together with MOTÖRHEAD and a group of experienced sound experts and engineers led by brand manager Anders Nicklasson who has over 30 years of experience in audio development and international marketing. Distribution and marketing is handled worldwide by Krusell International AB. For more information, visit www.motorheadphones.com. Check out video from Lemmy at Blabbermouth, Loudwire and NME Read more at Rolling Stone Check out the press conference at Blabbermouth

Blabbermouth reports MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine says that he doesn't mind the fact that CNN anchor Anderson Cooper made fun of him on the U.S. cable news channel, calling Anderson a "class newsman" and claiming that he "loves" Cooper's show. Before signing off each night, Cooper concludes his show "AC360" with a segment called "The RidicuList", during which he comments on some trivial bit of news or pop culture. Tuesday night's (January 8) edition of "The RidicuList" focused on the Mustaine's Facebook rant against Men's Wearhouse, the U.S.-based men's dress apparel retailer, for the company's tardiness in delivering a gift certificate he purchased for the band's tour manager. During the segment, which can be seen in its entirety below, Anderson stated: "We are all old. You know that you're old when one of the founding members of METALLICA is upset about a customer service issue with a Men's Wearhouse in Salt Lake City." In a tweet earlier today (Wednesday, January 9), Mustaine commented on his inclusion in last night's "The RidicuList", writing: "It's ok that @andersoncooper tried to make fun of me on his #RidicuList. I've always thought he was a class newsman & I love his show." This is not the first time Mustaine was featured on "The RidicuList". He previously made the segment in February 2012 after he denied that he endorsed then-Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum despite having stated in an interview that he thought Santorum had "some presidential qualities." Read more at Loudwire

Dave Mustaine on "The RidicuList" - January 8, 2013:

Dave Mustaine on "The RidicuList" - February 16, 2012:

Blabbermouth reports Troy Sanders of the explosive, unbridled force that is MASTODON was as sick as a dog when he found out that all six of his amps had failed just before a gig. Orange Amplification's Micro Terror was rushed to him by wonder dog "Bear," who ran mile after mile across all terrains to deliver the amp and save the show! The Micro Terror is Orange Amplification's smallest, most portable Terror amp yet, delivering a classic Orange sound way bigger than it looks and more than capable of giving enough stage volume to satisfy the mighty MASTODON. Orange amps — a breed of their own, be careful how you use them. The Newmerica video agency collaborated with Orange to produce the video below. Music is by The N.E.C. and Rump Posse. Read more at Loudwire, Noisecreep and NME

Blabbermouth reports MassConcerts proudly presents the first details for New England Metal & Hardcore Festival 2013, today confirming the dates and preliminary list of bands for this year's occurrence of the long-running annual event. For the 2013 installment, the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival will once again overthrow the historic venue, The Palladium, in Worcester, Massachusetts, this year marking the 15th anniversary of the iconic weekend-long gathering! The festivities will commence with a pre-party on April 18, 2013 and the three official days of the fest following on April 19, April 20 and April 21. Commented the festival's founder Scott Lee of MassConcerts: "I am excited with how far we have come and am ecstatic for this to be on our 15th year! It has been a long, interesting journey. We always try to make it a memorable event and we really hope you all enjoy the festival this year." With more than forty acts from all realms of the extreme music world already set to storm the two stages of New England Metal & Hardcore Festival XV — and with many more to be announced in the coming weeks — the confirmed headliners for the event will include HATEBREED, OPETH and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, as well as legendary thrash titans ANTHRAX performing their "Among The Living" album in its entirety, as part of their headlining spot on the Metal Alliance Tour. Tickets for the event will go on sale next Wednesday, January 16.New England Metal & Hardcore Festival XV billing is shaping up as follows:ANTHRAX HATEBREED OPETH SUICIDAL TENDENCIES AFTER THE BURIAL ALPHA & OMEGA ANTAGONIST AD ARK OF THE COVENANT BLACK BREATH BORN OF OSIRIS THE CONTORTIONIST DEAD BY WEDNESDAY DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR ENSIFERUM ERRA EXODUS EXPIRE FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY HEIDEVOLK HELLSOT HOLY GRAIL I DECLARE WAR INCENDIARY KATATONIA LEGION THE MONGOLOIDS MOTHER OF MERCY MUNICIPAL WASTE NO MERCY POWER TRIP RUDE AWAKENING SAVING GRACE SHADOWS FALL SUBURBAN SCUM THOSE WHO FEAR TRAP THEM TROLLFEST TWITCHING TONGUES TÝR WITHIN THE RUINS XIBALBASince 1999, the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival has showcased a vast array of metal and hardcore acts across two stages, while also providing merchandising and promotional areas for record labels and other vendors, at Worcester, Massachusetts' massive venue The Palladium. Read more at Loudwire

Blabbermouth reports hot on the heels of their recent critically acclaimed album release "New York Connection", U.K. rock legends SWEET have released a new live CD only available by digital download. Performing the band's most famous and influential album from 1974, "Desolation Boulevard", live, SWEET's "Desolation Boulevard Revisited" recaptures the album in concert with all of the raw energy that can only come from a live performance. Originally titled "Sweet Fanny Adams" in the U.K., the 1974 U.S. release of the album, re-titled "Desolation Boulevard", was a turning point for the band featuring, for the first time, more of a hard rock sound. The album yielded classic hits such as "Ballroom Blitz", "Fox On The Run" and "The Six Teens", catapulting the band to international stardom. Says original member Andy Scott: "SWEET's 'Desolation Boulevard' album was groundbreaking back in 1974 and proved to be a major influence on soon to be famous rock bands such as KISS, MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD and many more. The album was a tightly produced collection of power-pop, heavy-rock, radio-friendly tunes that still sound great today. This was the album that accelerated SWEET into a major headlining touring band in the '70s, a testament of anyone who saw the band 'live.' Several of the songs from the album have been covered by other artists which pays true homage to a great band. Now in 2013, we have 'Desolation Boulevard Revisited'. A 'live' album release, almost 40 years on from the original but sounding as fresh as the day the songs were conceived. This is a 'must' for SWEET fans everywhere!" With worldwide album sales of more than 55 million copies, SWEET have notched 34 No. 1 smashes across the globe as part of a run of timeless hits that includes "Blockbuster!", "Hell Raiser", "The Ballroom Blitz", "The Six Teens", "Action", "Fox On The Run" and "Love Is Like Oxygen". Seen on "Top Of The Pops" on what felt like a weekly basis throughout the 1970s, their über-harmonious, multi-tracked guitar work and layered production was to provide inspiration to other acts such as QUEEN, the ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA and, in later decades, DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and THE DARKNESS.

"Desolation Boulevard Revisited" track listing:

01. Sweet F.A.02. Heartbreak Today03. The Six Teens04. Restless05. No You Don't06. Into The Night07. AC-DC08. Fox On The Run09. Set Me Free10. Ballroom Blitz

Blabbermouth reports "I Said It", the new video from NONPOINT, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Ramon Boutviseth, who has previously worked with TRIVIUM, DARKEST HOUR, INCUBUS and ALL THAT REMAINS, among others. It was filmed at the Majestic Theater in Madison, Wisconsin. Commented NONPOINT frontman Elias Soriano: "It's been a long time since I've had this much fun on a video shoot — especially since we had a chance to shoot it in one of our favorite towns to play — Madison, Wisconsin. Put your mouthguards in and protect your neck folks. This one's a swinging fist to the grill." "I Said It" comes off NONPOINT's new self-titled album, which sold 7,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 62 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Miracle" (2010), opened with around 8,000 units to land at No. 60. "Nonpoint" was produced/mixed by Grammy-nominated producer Johnny K (DISTURBED, STAIND, MEGADETH) and features additional production and mixing from Brian Virtue (30 SECONDS TO MARS, CHEVELLE). The CD contains 12 of the most raw and real songs of their 15-year career with unique, uncompromising, and undeniable hard rock on their self-titled ninth studio album and first for Razor & Tie. Weathering lineup changes, label shifts, and other trials and tribulations, founding members Elias Soriano (vocals) and Robb Rivera (drums) regrouped with fresh blood — Dave Lizzio (guitar), Adam Wolosyzn (bass), and Rasheed Thomas (guitar) — and captured pure fire this time around.

Blabbermouth reports "Earth Rocker", the title track of the new album from Maryland rockers CLUTCH, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below (courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan). Produced by Machine (LAMB OF GOD, FOUR YEAR STRONG, FALL OUT BOY) at the Machine Shop studio in Belleville, New Jersey, "Earth Rocker" will be released on March 19 via CLUTCH's own Weathermaker Music label. The CD was described by CLUTCH vocalist Neil Fallon in a recent interview with DCHeavyMetal.com as "probably faster than most of our recent albums. Maybe compared to some other bands, it's not the fastest thing on planet Earth. For us it was definitely a step up in the tempo. And I think the other thing that kind of stands out about this one is the blues influences that we've been flirting with over the past couple records is more or less absent in this record, which didn't really happen intentionally until we looked back at it. As a whole, it's just much more of a straight-up rock and roll record." The artwork for "Earth Rocker" was created by Nick Lakiotes, longtime CLUTCH art director, who has worked on previous efforts, including "Robot Hive/Exodus" and "Strange Cousins From The West". CLUTCH's North American dates kick off March 8 in Cincinnati, Ohio and are currently slated to run through March 24 in Anaheim, California. Support on the trek will come from ORANGE GOBLIN, LIONIZE and KYNG. Video footage of CLUTCH performing the "Earth Rocker" title track at a secret CD-listening party on October 17, 2012 at the Machine Shop in Belleville, New Jersey can be seen below. Read more at Classic Rock

"Earth Rocker" (song) performance:

Blabbermouth reports SHIHAD, the New Zealand alternative rock band currently based in Melbourne, Australia, will support BLACK SABBATH on the heavy metal legends' highly anticipated return to Australia this April — their first in nearly 40 years. In existence for 25 years, SHIHAD — which covered SABBATH's "The Wizard" on its debut 1990 "Devolve" EP — has released eight albums, four of which hit No. 1 in New Zealand, was inducted in the New Zealand Music Hall Of Fame and has toured the globe multiple times. The band also recently released a documentary about its metamorphosis as a band. SHIHAD will kick off 2013 by heading off to Egypt and Spain to record its ninth album with producer Jaz Coleman of KILLING JOKE. Coleman previously worked with SHIHAD on their 1993 debut album, "Churn". Between 2002 and September 17, 2004, SHIHAD was known as PACIFIER — a move the band explained was necesary because SHIHAD was too close to the Islam word for Holy War, "jihad," in the wake of 9/11.

Blabbermouth reports U.D.O. — the German metal band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider — will embark on a short North American tour in April.

U.D.O. has recruited a new guitarist to replace Stefan Kaufmann, who left the group late last year for health reasons. Stefan will continue to work with U.D.O. behind the scenes and produce other bands at his Roxx studio. Kaufmann was the drummer for ACCEPT on nine albums but was forced to give up drumming towards the end of the band's initial run due to health problems. Stefan joined U.D.O. as a guitar player in 1996, following ACCEPT's second breakup, and has recorded nine albums with them. "Live In Sofia", the new DVD+CD and Blu-ray+CD from U.D.O., entered the Music DVD chart in Finland at position No. 1 and in Germany at No. 4. "Live In Sofia" contains footage of U.D.O.'s November 16, 2011 concert at Hristo Botev Hall in Sofia, Bulgaria. U.D.O. 's latest album, "Rev-Raptor", was released on May 20, 2011 via AFM Records.

Blabbermouth reports British vocalist Tony Mills (TNT, ex-SHY) is working on an ew solo album for a 2013 release. The follow-up to 2008's "Vital Designs" will feature guest appearances by a number of "well-known names in the rock business," including Tommy Denander, Bruce Gaitsch, Gregg Bissonette (DAVID LEE ROTH, RINGO STARR), Tony Franklin (THE FIRM), Erik Engerbretsen, Mike Garson, Simon Harrison, Terje Eide, Neil Hibbs and Roger Gilton. TNT's latest album, "A Farewell To Arms", was released in Japan in December 2010 via Avalon/Marquee and in Europe (excluding Norway) in January 2011 through Metal Heaven. The CD was produced by TNT guitar player Ronni Le Tekrö at his Studio Studio, and the songs were mainly written by Tekrö and Mills. Mills suffered a heart attack at Oslo airport in August 2010 on his way to a gig with the rest of the band, but a quick response from the airport's paramedics saved the singer's life.

Blabbermouth reports after the success of the "Polaris" and "Elysium" albums and the warm response to the CD/DVD/Blu-ray "Live In Tampere" that featured one show of the band's last world tour with longtime drummer Jörg Michael, STRATOVARIUS is about to reinforce its position as one of the undisputed leading name of the prog-symphonic metal genre with "Nemesis", an album that promises to be one of its best ever. STRATOVARIUS recently entered the studio again, only a few weeks after having completed the new CD, to record an additional song they had been working on for a while. The acoustic ballad, "Old Man And The Sea", will be an extra track included in the 2,500 numbered limited-edition vinyl version of "Nemesis". With "Nemesis" two months from release, STRATOVARIUS will soon shoot the first video clip from the CD and is inviting its fans to take part in the filming process. Fans are being asked to send a picture of their most precious STRATOVARIUS fan item to: win_earmusic@edel.com. T-Shirts, a signed concert poster, drawings, CDs official or… not, self-made shirts, flags or anything that they feel is rare or unique related to any phase or moment of the band's long history. The possibilities are endless! The band will select the most original and fun fan items to be featured in the clip. Deadline to send in photos is January 23. All received items will be returned in mint condition. STRATOVARIUS will try to find the time to comment and share all the memories brought back by all pictures through the band's and earMUSIC's Facebook pages. On top of the newly announced 2LP edition, "Nemesis" will be released on February 22 via earMUSIC as an 11-track CD and as a special-edition 13-track hardcover CD. For more information, go to this location.

"Nemesis" track listing:

01. Abandon02. Unbreakable03. Stand My Ground04. Halcyon Days05. Fantasy06. Out Of The Fog07. Castles In The Air08. Dragons09. One Must Fall10. If The Story Is Over11. Nemesis

An audio sample of the song "Unbreakable" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Blabbermouth reports Swedish progressive metallers OPETH will return to North America in support of their most recent studio album, "Heritage". Released September 20, 2011, it garnered rave reviews from everyone from Rolling Stone who called the album "a career record that reimagines prog as actual rock 'n' roll" to Pitchfork saying "a pretty, well thought out collection” to NPR who called it “equally vast, thoughtful and heavy.” The tour will kick off on April 18 in Buffalo and will take the band throughout North America on a 30-plus-city tour. KATATONIA has been confirmed as direct support for the tour. There will be several dates of note during OPETH's North American run. On April 20, OPETH will be making a stop to headline alongside ANTHRAX, HATEBREED and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival. The April 28 show in Clifton Park, New York will see OPETH mainman Mikael Åkerfeldt's STORM CORROSION collaborator and friend Steven Wilson of PORCUPINE TREE join OPETH for a special evening that is not to be missed. There will also be two rare and intimate evenings with OPETH planned for Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on April 29 and The Roxy in West Hollywood on May 24. These shows will allow fans the unique opportunity to experience OPETH like never before.

OPETH will also be offering VIP packages throughout the tour that will allow fans the following:

In a recent interview with Uppsala Student Radio 98.9, Åkerfeldt stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2011's "Heritage" album: "I have one new song, which I really like, a new song. It's the most miserable song I ever wrote, and it's beautiful, I think. And then I have a song that we jammed, actually, on tour. I came up with a little lick and became a bit of a director and just told everyone to play this and that, and we started jamming on something. And it sounded, immediately from the beginning, which was also my idea, it sounded like the band GOBLIN, if you heard them, the Italian [progressive rock] band. So it's a crazy riff, a GOBLIN rip-off, and the song is called 'Goblin', which is a good title, I think. And we're gonna record it. I'm not sure if that will be too much of a fucked up song to be on the record, because there will definitely only be one song ever we do that is gonna sound like that. So maybe it'll just be some extra thing that we have. But it's really good; I love it. But then again, it's just because of the closeness to GOBLIN." OPETH performed a special "unplugged" show on November 16, 2012 at the Union Chapel in London, England. "Heritage" sold 19,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart. Read more at Loudwireand Noisecreep. Check out mainmans comments at Blabbermouth

Blabbermouth reports SOILWORK frontman Björn "Speed" Strid and EXES FOR EYES guitarist Dave Sheldon have launched a new Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based guitar company called Elegy Guitarworks, specializing in six-, seven- and eight-string guitars and four-, five-, six- and seven-string basses. A posting on the company's Facebook page states: "Conceived the day the world as we knew it was supposed to end, Elegy Guitarworks was founded December 21, 2012. Born in the light of a new friendship, Elegy Guitarworks focuses on bringing professional quality instruments to the cost-conscious player. The Mayans were wrong... and this is their Elegy." Elegy Guitarworks is hoping to land Canadian distribution and sell between 100 and 200 units annually. Strid, who is Swedish, splits his time between Toronto, where he has a Canadian girlfriend, and Sweden.

Blabbermouth reports Kobi Farhi, lead vocalist of Israeli progressive folk metal masters ORPHANED LAND, will embark on a solo music and conversation tour in major cities across the United States in the spring. He will perform an acoustic set, including songs from ORPHANED LAND's new album, and engage in a conversation about how art and music can bring diverse peoples and cultures together. He will discuss his band's incredible experiences in Turkey, his tours and collaborations with Arab musicians, and the negative impact of cultural boycotts. The tour will be sponsored and organized by Creative Community For Peace, an organization which supports art and music as a means to foster understanding, encourage dialogue, and build bridges between Israel and the world. Tour dates and further details will be announced shortly. ORPHANED LAND has built a huge following among Muslims and Arabs, and has been described as the most influential metal band in the Middle East. The band was given the Peace And Friendship Award by Turkey and featured on the front page of Divan magazine, the first rock and metal magazine in Iran. In October 2012, a petition was submitted to the Norwegian Nobel committee to consider ORPHANED LAND for the 2013 Nobel Prize. ORPHANED LAND is currently recording the follow-up to 2010's "The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR" for a late spring release. The band's forthcoming effort will be its first to feature guitarist Chen Balbus following the departure of Matty Svatizky last June due to "personal" and "professional" issues. ORPHANED LAND's concert DVD, "The Road To OR-Shalem", was released in October 2011 in Europe and November 2011 in the U.S. via Century Media Records.

Blabbermouth reports singer Ronnie Atkins of Danish hard rock veterans PRETTY MAIDS has been confirmed as one of the guest musicians who will appear on "The Mystery Of Time", the new album from EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet's AVANTASIA project. Also scheduled to make appearances on the CD are Michael Kiske (UNISONIC, HELLOWEEN), SAXON frontman Biff Byford, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick, drummer Russell Gilbrook of URIAH HEEP and AYREON mastermind Arjen Lucassen (also ex-BODINE, VENGEANCE). Commented Tobias: "I have been a huge PRETTY MAIDS fan since I was a teenager. I already asked Ronnie to be on the 'Metal Opera' in 1999, but he was busy back then. Last year I saw PRETTY MAIDS live, and they were a steam train on stage, unbelievable. After the show, we met and Ronnie was a great guy. Finally after 13 years, I am really proud to have him on the new AVANTASIA album. And his kick-ass performance leaves no doubt: It was a great decision to ask him!" A YouTube clip containing footage of the orchestra recordings as well as a rough-mix sample of a song featuring Kiske is available below. Bruce previously appeared on AVANTASIA's "The Wicked Symphony" and "Angel Of Babylon" CDs and Tobias contributed guest vocals to Bruce's last solo release, "BK3". The new AVANTASIA CD is being recorded in part at VOX Klangstudio in Bendestorf, Germany with producer Sascha Paeth (KAMELOT, EDGUY, EPICA, RHAPSODY). Immediately after the release of "The Mystery Of Time", a metal opera based on a story written by Sammet, the band will embark on a full-fledged indoor tour, during which the band and special guests will bring the epic undertaking to the stage. Since the performances will embrace all the different eras and history of AVANTASIA, these shows will feature an extended playing time and the entire evening will be dedicated to AVANTASIA with no support acts. Tobias originally wanted to put AVANTASIA to rest after the release of the "The Flying Opera - Around The World In 20 Days" concert DVD in April 2011, but he has since had a change of heart. He explains, "Even though I love to record and tour with EDGUY, I didn't foresee how much I need AVANTASIA when I decided to finish this chapter of my life in 2011. I didn't know if there would be another AVANTASIA album one day, but I didn‘t feel like doing it. After the worldwide success of the latest studio releases, an arena world tour that was sold out pretty much everywhere, collaborations with childhood heroes like Alice Cooper, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Eric Singer of KISS, etc. I 'knew' that I had said everything I could possibly say in the name of AVANTASIA. But that's not what AVANTASIA is all about. I wanna create more great music, I wanna create more fantasy worlds, the bigger and the more epic, the better. And listening to the material that I have created for this forthcoming chapter in the history of AVANTASIA, I know there is no way I am not going to do it! I have got the feeling and the certainty that this is absolutely meant to happen and to be!"

Blabbermouth reports Italy's gothic melodic sensation THE FORESHADOWING has parted ways with drummer Jonah Padella due to "personal reasons" and has replaced him with Giuseppe Orlando (NOVEMBRE, AIRLINES OF TERROR). Commented THE FORESHADOWING guitarist Alessandro Pace: "The choice of Giuseppe on drums was so natural in our eyes since he's a longtime friend and he produced our first two albums and travelled many times with us as sound engineer, growing up in parallel with the band as a sort of additional member! He will increase the level of the band with his precious experience and inner talent that everyone well knows. Welcome onboard, mate!" Added Giuseppe: "I'm very happy to join THE FORESHADOWING. We know each other since long time, even before the foundation of the band, and I've always considered them as good friends, great musicians and composers. I felt honored when they asked me to become their drummer because I always loved their music! I think it's the result of passion and sacrifice and I think we will create good vibes together." THE FORESHADOWING will join Swedish black metallers MARDUK and Portugal's dark, gothic heavy hitters MOONSPELL for the "Voices From The Dark" North American co-headlining tour in February/March. Additional support on the trek will come from Colombian/American black metal rising demons INQUISITION and Sweden's dark rock/metal band DEATH WOLF (featuring MARDUK members). States Pace: "It will be our first time in North America and we are very proud to hit the road with such great bands!!! Are you ready to be part of the Second World?" THE FORESHADOWING's most recent album, "Second World", was released in North America on August 14, 2012. The CD has been widely praised by fans and critics alike as one of the top doom releases of 2012.

Blabbermouth reports Madrid, Spain-based female-fronted metallers TEARS OF MARTYR have inked a deal with Germany's Massacre Records. The band's second album, "Tales", will be released on April 26. The CD was recorded in August 2012 at the New Sin Studios in Loria, Italy, with Enrik Garcia and Luigi Stefanini. Formed in the mid-'90s in Gran Canaria, Spain, TEARS OF MARTYR's debut album, "Entrance", was released in 2009 via STF Records. The band was honored with the "Best Spanish Band Of The Year" award at the Female Metal Awards in 2009. Commented TEARS OF MARTYR: "We are happy and excited to work with Massacre Records. We are looking forward to the release of 'Tales' and we hope you'll enjoy it!" TEARS OF MARTYR is: Berenice Musa - Soprano Miguel Angel Marqués – Guitar, Vocals Adrián Miranda - Bass Doramas Párraga - Drums

Blabbermouth reports after the success of last year's "III", and the reissue of debut album "Soma", the Marseille, France-based female-fronted metalcore band ETHS will make its first EPs — "Autopsie" and "Samantha" — available again on February 15 via Season Of Mist. Originally released in 2000 and 2002, respectively, "Autopsie" and "Samantha" spread like wildfire and gained the young band cult status. The raw emotionality of outstanding singer Candice Clot on top of a raging mixture of metal and core captured the immediate interest of their rapidly growing following. Now these two milestones of French metal will be reissued with the addition of four previously unreleased bonus tracks.

ETHS last fall recruited Virginie Goncalves (KELLS) and Nelly Wood-Hasselhoff to handle lead vocals at the group's shows following the departure of Candice Clot. Clot played her final show as a member of ETHS on October 13, 2012 at L'Arcade in Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon, France. ETHS' third album, "III", was released on April 6, 2012 via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with producer Fredrik Nordström, who has previously worked with AT THE GATES, IN FLAMES, DARK TRANQUILLITY, ARCH ENEMY, SOILWORK and BRING ME THE HORIZON, among others.

Loudwire posts an interview with Kyng frontman Eddie Veliz on life on the road, writing new music and more